> Silly question but why is the Pi necessary? Not sure about this project, but generally it is not. All it needs is a small board capable of running Linux and

> Silly question but why is the Pi necessary? Not sure about this project, but generally it is not. All it needs is a small board capable of running Linux and the necessary drivers for external ADCs/DACs where necessary, plus the digital fx software. As an example, Guitarix runs also on ARM and can work on cheaper boards such as the Orange PI, Nano PI and many others cheaper and more obtanium than the Raspberry PI. https://guitarix.org/ https://guitarix.org/ In some cases you don't even need to run Linux. There are many effects projects using a cheap Teensy board plus its piggybacked audio card; it features a really powerful audio library and is compatible with the Arduino IDE. https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/ https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/ https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/td_libs_Audio.html https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/td_libs_Audio.html The Teensy is truly amazing, to the point one can build synthesizers that just a few years ago would cost hundreds of bucks. Take a look for example at the TSynth, 100% Open Hardware & Open Source, also available in kit. https://electrotechnique.cc/ https://electrotechnique.cc/ Demo here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCA2L7CeWSE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCA2L7CeWSE